Friday, December 08, 2006

New Fraternity Announces Leadership - News

Rishi Chhatwal, the first president of Sigma Phi Epsilon at Emory, is seeking to establish the fraternity at the University and apply for a charter in the fall.

Emory, meet Sig Ep.

The newly established Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity colony introduced itself to administrators and students at events in Cox Hall and the Dobbs University Center Tuesday night.

Now Sig Ep, led by President Rishi Chhatwal, is trying to make its presence known on campus. To establish itself at Emory, the fraternity will need to nearly double in size and carve out a niche for itself as a different type of fraternity within a more traditional Greek system.[...]Sig Ep Director of New Chapter Development Greg Barra thanked administrators and students for their support in a short speech in Cox Hall.

"I really believe that a rising tide benefits all ships," he said.

Interfraternity Council President Navin Varindani said Sig Ep's primary challenge will be recruitment, especially because every other fraternity has experienced formal recruitment. He said Sig Ep's pledge to be a different type of fraternity could work for or against them when recruitment begins in the spring.

"It will be interesting to see how they use that to their advantage," he said.

The Sig Ep fraternity centers on the Balanced Man Program, which involves mentoring, athletics and academic rigor. In addition, the fraternity does not use a standard pledging process.[...]Regional Director Aaron Dail said Chhatwal, who was chosen by fraternity representatives, displayed good leadership capability in interviews.

Dail said the local alumni board will remain involved with the fraternity to ensure "what we're selling matches up to what we're providing."